Elective Studies Renamed Postbaccalaureate Studies Program

Dear Elective Studies Students:

I am writing to apprise you of some exciting changes in your program at the School of Continuing Education. As I’ve met with many of you during past registrations, it has become very apparent to me that the majority of you are pursuing a plan of study that will better prepare you for graduate school or professional advancement. Indeed, the number of you who are taking classes as an end in and of itself, purely for personal enjoyment, is rather small (though we greatly appreciate your participation).

With this reality in mind, the School of Continuing Education has re-named Elective Studies to better represent the student body we serve. It is now called the Postbaccalaureate Studies Program. In addition, we have developed services in recognition of who you are: a body of motivated and talented students who hold bachelor's degrees but need further academic work to prepare for graduate school or to advance professionally. This is why we’ve recently expanded the Office of Student Affairs to include two additional academic advisors, Donia Allen and Alakesha Murray, both of whom have comprehensive experience with academic planning and graduate school application guidance.

In addition, we plan to offer workshops and colloquia on graduate school admissions. In fact, we will be offering the first of these workshops on Thursday, April 19th, from 6 to 8 PM (room TBA). You will receive an email in the near future with details, including the workshop’s agenda and where to RSVP.

As the program progresses, we look forward to assisting you with your educational plans. If you have any questions or suggestions, we welcome them at:

sce-studentaffairs@columbia.edu

I am also including links to some of the free and exciting events open to you as members of our academic community, compliments of our friends at CUArts:

Free or inexpensive tickets to performances around NYC http://www.cuarts.com/studentDiscounts.html#top

Free student admission to nearly 30 major museums http://www.cuarts.com/studentDiscounts.html#museum

Tom Harford
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs